Enjoying Your Pregnancy — A Reminder for First-Time Parents

MamaPapa.sg
Dec 29, 2025
3 min read

Pregnancy is often portrayed as a checklist — what to eat, what not to do, what’s “best” for the baby. As first-time parents ourselves, we’ve learned that while guidance is important, happiness and sustainability matter just as much. Here’s our honest take on how to truly enjoy your pregnancy journey.

1) The News of Pregnancy & the (Un)Solicited Advice

Congratulations — you’ve just found out you’re pregnant! You’re overjoyed, emotional, and can’t wait to share the news with your family and friends. Everyone is excited for you… and then it begins.

Suddenly, advice starts pouring in. Some are thoughtful and requested, others… not so much.

You might be told to:

Eat fish every day
Add avocado to every meal because it’s a “superfood”
Follow every best practice you read online

Before you know it, these well-meaning tips start weighing on your mind. You feel guilty when you miss a meal, skip a supplement, or eat something “unhealthy.” You begin questioning whether you’re providing the very best for your little one.

Our honest advice? Happiness is key to a good pregnancy.

We’ve experienced this first-hand. After reflecting, we realised that pregnancy — and parenting — is a marathon, not a sprint. What matters most is building habits you can sustain long-term. Missing an avocado or indulging in some processed food won’t undo everything.

Aim for a healthier lifestyle, not a picture-perfect one.

That being said, as first-time parents, we too felt obligated that we must know everything and this was us reading the Healthy Pregnancy book during our trip at about 10 weeks pregnant!

P.s. We totally did not get through the book

2) Travelling During Pregnancy — Yes, It’s Possible

We personally travelled during our first trimester (between week 9 and week 11). It wasn’t planned — the trip was booked way in advance before we knew we were pregnant.

Naturally, we checked with our doctor first and got the green light.

Honestly? The doctor didn’t even show the slightest concern. As long as you’re not well into the third trimester and your pregnancy is healthy, medical professionals are generally okay with travelling.

So yes — off we went on our Europe trip.

For mama, there was no alcohol or coffee, which gave us a great excuse to come back again someday 😉We were also advised to avoid high altitudes (above 1000m), so when we realised Grindelwald sits right at 1000m, we took it easy — meaning not much mountain viewing for us in Switzerland!

But you know what? We still had a wonderful time. The doctor’s clearance gave us reassurance, and following precautions gave us peace of mind.

The takeaway here is simple:

Don’t put your life on pause just because you’re pregnant — reasonably, of course. A happy mama makes for a happy pregnancy.

3) Embracing the Anticipation & Excitement (The Best Part)

We’ve always believed that the best part of any trip is planning it. The anticipation, excitement, and imagination often feel better than the destination itself.

From our experience, pregnancy feels the same.

Pregnancy was really the honeymoon part of this whole journey. You still have the flexibility and “freedom” of two adults, while carrying and anticipating your little one.

This phase is magical.

Soak it in:

Capture the little moments
Celebrate milestones, big and small
Document your journey if you can
Enjoy the shopping and setting up your "nursery"

We filmed vlogs for many milestones — our gender reveal, pre-natal classes, and more. Looking back, these memories are priceless. It’s a unique chapter that you’ll never get back in the same way again.

So please — treasure it, embrace it, and allow yourself to feel happy.